Jo Walton
Won the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards for a single novel, a feat achieved by only eleven books in history.
Born 1964 (age 62)·Canadian writer and poet·Birthday: December 1·Baby Boomers
Biography
Jo Walton's 2011 novel 'Among Others' secured the Hugo, Nebuela, and World Fantasy Award. She published her first novel, 'The King's Peace', in 2000. The Welsh-born author moved to Montreal in 2002. Her 'Small Change' trilogy, beginning with 'Farthing' in 2006, posits a fascist England following a negotiated peace with Nazi Germany. Walton co-created the 'Trollope Society' mailing list in 2000, a pioneering online literary community. She initiated the 'Sword and Laser' book club in 2012. Tor Books published her 'Thessaly' trilogy, which places the goddess Athena in a practical experiment to build Plato's Republic, between 2014 and 2016. Walton writes a monthly column for Tor.com. Her 2020 novel 'Or What You Will' functions as a metafictional exploration of authorship and character. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named her its SFWA Grand Master in 2024. Her work systematically dismantles genre boundaries to examine political and ethical systems.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Jo was born in 1964, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jo Was Born
The biggest hits of 1964
#1 Movie
Mary Poppins
Best Picture
My Fair Lady
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Jo's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1964Born
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1969Started school
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1977Became a teenager
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Could drive
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1982Could vote
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Turned 21
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1994Turned 30
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 40
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 50
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 60
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 62 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2012 for 'Among Others'.
- Received the 2010 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.
- Authored over 20 novels across fantasy, science fiction, and alternate history.
Did You Know?
She read 1,246 books in three years for her 'What Makes This Book So Great' essay collection.
Walton named her son after Thomas Covenant from Stephen R. Donaldson's novels.
She wrote her first novel at age 13, a 100,000-word Tolkien-inspired manuscript.
“All novels are fantasy. Some are just more honest about it.”
